Paper-fastener.



UNITED STATES Patented. J'une23, 1903."

PATENT OFFICE.

PAPER-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,827, dated June 23, 1903. Application filedIebruary 9, 1903. Serial ITO-142,442. (No model.)

To an whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES VEWASHBURNE,

a citizen of the. United States, residing at .Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented an Improvement in Paper-Fasteners, of which the followingis a specification,

My invention relates to a paper-fastening device or clip formed of flattened or sheet metal and preferably stamped up entire of an integral piece and bent to form, with the object of providing a device better adapted to engage and securely hold together a num ber of sheets of paper.

My improved paper-fastener comprises two connected portions which occupy adjacent planes and face each other and the free ends of which when sheets of paper intervene are adapted to be manually forced toward one another. One portion is made with a punch for penetration and the other portion with a die having a central aperture coacting with the punch and receiving the pointed end of said punch afterthe same passesthrough the paper.

The paper-fastener is preferably made out of sheet metal stamped up to shape, and'from which metal the punch is turned up, so that the punch is integral with the metal, and also from which the die, having a central aperture, is formed. A loop for suspending the fastener with the attached sheets may also be formed integral with the other portions.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of ,one side, and Fig. 2 an elevation of the opposite or otherside, of the paper-fastener. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section with the parts in theirnormal open position, while Fig. at is a longitudinal section showing the position after the parts-are forced together with intervening sheetsof paper. Fig. 5 represents thefastener as laid out fiat and in the form assumed after stamping out of a sheet of metal andbeforethe structure is bent to shape. Fig. 6 is an elevation, and Fig.7 a longitudinal section, of a form of my invention; and Fig. 8 represents the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 as laid out fiat. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section ofa further form of m y in- 2, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive.

nected together.

bearing upon said parts.

vention. All of the figures of the drawings are of greatly-exaggerated size for clearness. My improved paper-fastener when viewed edgewise is of flattened-U form, and in general elevation the edges are preferably slightly diverging to one another, and the same comprises the portions a I), connected by a bond The central part of the bend and of the adjacent portions (1 b is advantageously cut away,.s0 as to lighten the fastener, to save stock, and

to facilitate bending the same by the fingers when. sheets of paper that intervene are con- The part a is provided with a punch a for penetration,preferably stamped up from the same metal sheet and of inverted-V shape, so that the pointed free end stands out in position to puncture the paper.

In the portion b opposite to the punch a there is a circular depression, forming a die I), with a central aperture 3. When intervening sheets are connected, as in Fig. 4, the punch passes through the aperture 3 into the die 19', and this punch should be of suitable length so that when the parts are in the position Fig. 4 the punch does not project sufficiently near to the outer surface of the portion b to come into contact with the finger This die b is made in the surface of the portion 1) toward the portion a, with the object of providing for the reception of the free end of the punch as the same passes through intervening sheets of paper and the protecting of said punch from contact with anything lying upon or beyond the outer surface of the portion b.

I prefer in the manufacture of my improved paper-fastener to stamp the same out of sheet metal to form the punch and die integral with the said material. The die performs the further function of a guide and support to the free end of the punch distant from its union with the portion a, so that this point of union is not liable to be accidentally broken, as would be the case with the punch only sup ported at such place, because if broken the papers to be held would then come away from the fastening device and become scattered,

while with the punch supported at'its union with the portion Ct and at its point by the die the weight of material upon the punch could have no detrimental effect.

In the modified structure, Figs. 6 to S, inclusive, the form is changed so as to throw up a shoulder 4: around the die 1), which permits of said shoulder performing the same function as the surface of the portion 19 in the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, but has the effect of increasing the appreciable width between the parts at and Z), which face one another, and so providing for a longer punch ct and the reception of a larger number of sheets of paper. The structure also includes a suspending-loop 5, stamped out of the sheet metal and bent outward into the desired form, so that when the parts a b are bent to shape said loop forms a prolongation of the portions to 1) beyond the same, so that the fastener, with whatever the same may connect, may be hung upon a hook or nail in schools, offices, or other places where matter is placed for display or reference. The shoulder 4 performs for the structure Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, the same protecting function with regard to the relation of the punch and the die I) as the outer surface of the portion 1), Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive. The die is not only of a size adapted to receive the free end of the punch, but is adapted to contain the free end of said punch if the same be overturned or upset therein, so as to more securely connect the fastening device to the intervening sheets of paper. This die is substantially bisected by the plane of the portion I), in and from which the same is made.

In the modified form, Fig. 9, there are portions at b and a punch a formed with and from the portion a, as in the forms previously described. In this form the walls 6 of the die b surrounding the central aperture, receiving the punch a,'are substantially parallel with one another, and the wall 7 between the flat portion 19 and the die 19 is in crosssection of compound-curved form, the walls 6 being substantially bisected by the plane of the portion 1). In this instance the punch a is long enough to turn the free end over the union of the walls 6 and 7.

I claim as my invention- 1. A fastening device struck up from flattened or sheet metal and comprising two portions which face each other and are integral with a bent part connecting the same, the free ends of which are adapted to be forced toward one another, one portion having an integral punch stamped out of the material and the other portion having a die with a central aperture, and surrounding side walls which extend toward or in the direction of the portion having the punch, the aperture in size and the die in depth being adapted to receive the free end of the punch when the parts are brought together under pressure.

2. A fastening device struck up from fiattened or sheet metal, comprising two portions and an integral bent portion connecting the same, which bent portion and the adjacent metal of the aforesaid portions are centrally cut away, the one portion having a punch stamped out and bent up integral with the same, and the other portion having a die with a central aperture, and surroundingside walls which extend toward the portion having the punch, the aperture of said die receiving the punch when the parts are forced together under pressure, so that said punch does not project beyond the outer surface of the fastener.

3. A fastening device comprising two connected portions occupying adjacent planes and facing each other and the free ends of which, when sheets of paper intervene, are adapted to be forced toward one another, one of said parts having a punch and the other of said parts having a die with a central aper ture anda shoulder, the side walls of the die extending toward the portion having the punch and the shoulder being raised from the surface of the portion having the die, so that said die is substantially bisected by the plane of the portion with which the same is made.

4. A fastening device, comprising two connected portions occupying adjacent planes and facing each other, and the free ends of which, when sheets of paper intervene, are adapted to be forced toward one another, one of said parts having a punch and the other of said parts having a die with a central aperture and a shoulder, the side walls-of the die extending toward the portion having the an integral bent connection between saidportions, an inwardly-extending integral punch from one portion, an integral inwardly-extending concave-apertured die from the other portion coacting with the punch, said die being of a size and depth to receive the free end of the punch and to prevent the extension of the same beyond the surface of the portion having the die and yet permit of the free end of the punch being overturned or upset if desired in the die.

6. A fastening device struck up from flattened or sheet metal, comprising two portions, an integral bent connection between said portions, an inwardly-extending integral punch from one portion, an integral inwardly-extending die from the other portion coacting with the punch, and the connection of said portions formed with an integral loop for suspending thesam'e and the articles that may be integral 100p formed at the bent connection of attached thereto. t the two portions and adapted to act as a suszo- 7. A fastening device struck up from flatpending device.

tened or sheet metal, comprising two portions, Signed by me this 12th day of J an uary,1903.

5 an integral bent connection between said por- J AS. V. WASHBURN'E.

tions, an in wardly-extending integral punch Witnesses: from one portion, a die formed on the other GEO. T. PINCKNEY,

portion and coacting with the punch and an S. T. HAVILAND. 

